Secrets on Display
Stories and Spycraft from the International Spy Museum
Published on 31. July 2025
Book
Hardback
360 pages
978-0-7006-3880-2 (ISBN)
Description
Intelligence history comes alive in this delightful collection of stories and photographs.
Secrets on Display takes readers on a tour of the thrilling, real-life history of intelligence and espionage from around the world. With tales of spies, codebreakers, moles, terrorist-hunters, spy chiefs, propagandists, and secret agents, these new histories uncover a world that many of us only see in the movies. Bringing together stories and artifacts from the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, this book makes the world's largest museum devoted to intelligence history accessible to everyone.Secrets on Display brings this hidden history to life with over 200 photographs, including nearly 100 color images of artifacts-among them, James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, the axe used to assassinate Leon Trotsky, a portion of the secret MI6 and CIA tunnel beneath East Berlin, and a precursor to the Predator drone, as well as concealment devices, secret cameras, disguise kits, cipher machines, and a host of other rare objects seldom seen by the public.
These stories, told by historians, intelligence officers, and museum professionals, will fascinate scholars, intrigue practitioners, and entice those interested in a world of secrecy that most of us can scarcely imagine.
Secrets on Display takes readers on a tour of the thrilling, real-life history of intelligence and espionage from around the world. With tales of spies, codebreakers, moles, terrorist-hunters, spy chiefs, propagandists, and secret agents, these new histories uncover a world that many of us only see in the movies. Bringing together stories and artifacts from the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC, this book makes the world's largest museum devoted to intelligence history accessible to everyone.Secrets on Display brings this hidden history to life with over 200 photographs, including nearly 100 color images of artifacts-among them, James Bond's Aston Martin DB5, the axe used to assassinate Leon Trotsky, a portion of the secret MI6 and CIA tunnel beneath East Berlin, and a precursor to the Predator drone, as well as concealment devices, secret cameras, disguise kits, cipher machines, and a host of other rare objects seldom seen by the public.
These stories, told by historians, intelligence officers, and museum professionals, will fascinate scholars, intrigue practitioners, and entice those interested in a world of secrecy that most of us can scarcely imagine.
Reviews / Votes
"Corke and Stout have assembled some of the most important voices in intelligence history to write about one of the most interesting museums in the world. In doing so, they have found the elusive Goldilocks zone: the book is not too hot (pedantic, academic . . . boring) for the general public (or museum visitor), and not too cold (watered down) for the professional intelligence historian. It lives in that special space that makes it accessible and enjoyable for all audiences. Like the comfiest chairs, the best beds, and the tastiest porridges, Secrets on Display is just right."- Vincent J. Houhgton, director of National Cryptologic MuseumMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Kansas
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
231 photographs
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 165 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
856 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7006-3880-2 (9780700638802)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Mark Stout | Sarah-Jane Corke
Secrets on Display
Stories and Spycraft from the International Spy Museum
E-Book
06/2025
University Press of Kansas
€38.99
Available for download
Persons
Sarah-Jane Corke is associate professor of historical studies at the University of New Brunswick. She is the author of US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy: Truman, the CIA and Secret Warfare.
Mark Stout is a former senior lecturer and director of the Master of Arts in Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University, and a former intelligence officer. His books include World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence, also published by Kansas.
Mark Stout is a former senior lecturer and director of the Master of Arts in Global Security Studies program at Johns Hopkins University, and a former intelligence officer. His books include World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence, also published by Kansas.